Tears of Rage
by Bean Bandit
Summary: [Tsukihime SM Ranma xover] Undergoing rewrite!


Disclaimer: This story is a work of fanfiction, the characters and whatnot contained within, are not the property of the author, except for the ones I invented, yadda, yadda, yadda. Property Type-Moon, Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Someone or other, Etc! On with the show!

A Bean Bandit Fanfic

A Ranma ½ / Shingetsutan Tsukihime / Sailor Moon fanfiction

'Tears of Rage'

Chapter One – Wounded souls

The morning after what Nabiki later dubbed 'The Incident' was rather unassuming. The sun came up, and as the first rays were cast over the horizon, Nerima ward slowly came to life, though with unnatural quietness. The loudest sounds were the soft cries of birds. It was just another ordinary day for most, like any other. For those in the Tendo home, the arrival of morning marked a haven from the previous evening, and the horror it had wrought.

That morning also marked a first for the Tendo home. There was to be no morning practice between father and son that day, evidently. Which isn't to say Genma didn't try to pretend things were normal, but all this got him was flung out the window of the guestroom, and into the koi pond. After smacking his head soundly on the way down, Genma-panda seemed disinclined to try again, and thus, everyone in the home was left to their own thoughts again.

Thus, without the usual morning mayhem, the house was quiet until much later on this day…

_---  
_

_Stone cold, Saotome…guys don't cry. Not gonna. Feel the rhythm. Pack like a kata. One, two…_

"I absolutely forbid it, boy!"

Ranma Saotome didn't seem particularly impressed by his father's declaration, not even looking up. "Don't remember askin', Oyaji," He replied, without much in the way of emotion at all. _Just…stone. _

"Ranma, you have an obligation to the Tendos-"

"What about my obligation to Ucchan?" Ranma interjected softly as he continued filling his pack. Clothes, small mementos, scrolls, even a little money went in.

His father, Genma, took note of the money with a surprised expression. Shaking it off, he folded his arms and made what he obviously thought was a sage and benevolent expression, whereas, on the portly man, it looked like a particularly vexing bowel movement. "Boy, I can't pretend to know what you're going through-"

"So don't pretend, Oyaji," Ranma replied tightly. "Just leave me alone."

"Ranma. I understand you're grieving, but running away isn't the answer," Genma replied sombrely.

Ranma looked up at his father flatly. "Saotome Secret Technique."

Genma flushed, frowning. "That's different."

"The Saotome School is not merely martial arts, boy! You must embrace it as a way of life!" Ranma replied. The teen martial artist looked steadily at Genma, his delivery of the sentence made in a low, growling impression of Genma's voice.

His father twitched, taking a deep breath, and glaring at Ranma. The rotund martial artist's glasses glinted in the low light.

"Ranma. You have duties here." He reasoned, obviously making an effort to reach his son, frowning. "Your engagement to Akane is a matter of honour that cannot be ignored-"

Ranma cut off his father with a blindingly fast movement, dropping his pack and whirling around and standing, all in one motion, grabbing his father by the front of the bigger man's gi. His blank, neutral expression melted into a twisted mask of fury that even gave Genma pause.

"UCCHAN IS FUCKIN' DEAD, POPS!" He roared. "Who's gonna see that she gets justice?! Her Dad? YOU?" Bitter laughter fell from his lips as he shoved his father away. "She died savin' my worthless hide, Oyaji. I owe her this. I'm doin' this. Deal." He finished shortly, and his expression returned to the curious blankness he'd worn while packing.

Tension filled the air as father and son faced off, Genma giving Ranma his best blustery glare, and Ranma returning it with…nothing. Not even indifference was present in his expression. Sixteen years of fathering Ranma had taught Genma the ins and outs of all of Ranma's moods, or so he thought. It was obvious by the expression on his jowled countenance that he was thrown by Ranma's behaviour, and deep down, so deep he couldn't even acknowledge it, the teenage martial artist was satisfied.

Finally, silently, the portly man turned on his heel and stormed from the room, slamming the door as he went. The moment the door banged closed, Ranma hissed, wincing in pain, and put a hand to his chest. He looked down at his shirt, his familiar red Chinese tunic, and noticed the nigh invisible drops of crimson against the red of his shirt. _Still bleedin'. Guess I gotta go see Doc Tofu before I go. Bastard did something to me when he made that cut. Need to change the bandages, too. _After a long moment contemplating his chest, Ranma slowly turned back to his pack, and knelt in front of it, resuming the slow task of placing things inside it.

_One, Two…_

--

The confrontation, though dramatic, had gone largely unnoticed. Though the house was filled with the customary sounds of people going about their morning routines, there seemed a pall over the household that no one wanted to try and cast off.

Routine went as normal; everyone lost in his or her own thoughts. One by one, they filed down to the breakfast table, and Kasumi did not disappoint. Soun Tendo, the patriarch of the household sat at the head of the table, speaking in hushed tones with Genma, on his right.

On his left sat the eldest Tendo daughter, Kasumi, quietly dishing out the meal to her father, and to her younger sisters with an unusually sombre expression.

Nabiki, the middle sister, sat next to Kasumi, her usual disinterested expression nowhere in evidence, today. She ate the meal methodically, running her fingers through her pageboy-cut hair as she contemplated the tabletop, deep in thought.

And beside her, Akane, the youngest, ate her meal as though she had a personal grudge against the food. Her chopsticks stabbed at the meal relentlessly, devouring the miso as she wore a worried and irritated expression.

The meal went on for several minutes in relative silence, with nothing but the muted conversation of the fathers and the 'tik-tik-tik' of Akane's chopsticks hitting the bottom of the bowl filling the dead air of the room. Ranma was notable by his absence, the empty spot beside Akane drawing the gaze of all the inhabitants of the dining room as the moments of silence stretched into minutes…

Finally, the subject of everyone's concerns descended the stairs, and not at his usual bouncing, energetic pace, either. With a slow, measured stride, he propped his pack up against the wall of the hallway, and entered the room, sitting down at the table and nodding to Kasumi. Kasumi offered him a sad smile in return, and he quickly looked away and down at the meal she served him. With a soft, almost inaudible 'Ittedakemas', he began to eat…and the slow, measured bites seemed to unnerve everyone at the table even more. Kasumi shook her head, going back to her meal with a soft sigh, and Nabiki raised an eyebrow, giving the boy a measured look before returning to her breakfast. Akane kept peeking over at him, alternating between worried and annoyed looks.

Finally, the fathers could apparently stand the relative peace no longer, and Genma cleared his throat. "Boy," he began importantly, "Tendo and I have talked it over, and we've decided to consent to this little journey of yours."

"Nice of ya," Ranma commented blandly, not a trace of sarcasm in his tone.

Genma nodded calmly to that. "Quite. Though, you'll need your fiancée along. Akane will pack and travel with you," He replied firmly.

"Wait, why should I go anywhere?" Akane interrupted, giving Ranma a worried glance. _He's been so withdrawn since last night… _"Just give it a rest! Today's not the time for this!"

"Akane, please, it's for the good of the schools! You MUST support your fiancé!" Soun replied to his daughter earnestly, his eyes beginning to shine with tears.

"Well…" Akane hedged, glancing at Ranma again. _I hate to see him this way.._. "I-"

"No."

Everyone turned to look at the pigtailed boy after the simple, quiet proclamation.

"What?" Akane exclaimed, beginning to frown. _What's his problem? I'm only worried about him…_

"Look here, boy! She's your fiancée, and-"

"I said no, Pop. It's dangerous, and she ain't going," Ranma replied firmly, his bites not even slowing down in the slightest.

Akane switched between annoyed with the interference of the fathers, to righteous anger in seconds. The concern for the pigtailed boy was rapidly being pushed aside by offended pride. "IDIOT! I'm a martial artist too! I can take care of myself!"

"No you ain't, and you can't," Ranma responded, wincing at every word that slipped from his lips, not even looking at Akane, a regretful expression on his face as he continued his meal. Everyone in the room froze at the casual, almost dismissive denial of Akane's skills, and seemed to take a collective breath, looking over at the black-haired girl for a reaction, the already high-tension level of the room skyrocketing.

Akane, for her part, seemed flabbergasted that not only was Ranma –not- flustered and back-pedalling in the face of her ire, but he dismissed her assertions casually, as if he were stating the most obvious thing in the world. She could hardly be blamed for this, as Ranma was a creature of habit when it came to Akane. It was true that his mouth got him in trouble with his prospective fiancée on a regular basis, but he was so desperate to avoid conflict and get along, he almost invariably took back what he said. This, however, was unless his own admittedly boundless pride became a factor, in which case, you could count on the pair to quarrel for days, and Akane would invariably cancel the engagement in a huff, which never seemed to take.

Now, however, Ranma was so far outside his normal behaviour patterns that even Akane was too shocked to be angry. "W-What?"

Ranma just kept eating, in the same eerily slow, measured movements, but he replied, between bites. "You don't train," He replied his voice soft. "You go out and break bricks when yer mad, and you take swings at me when yer really mad. How's that help you get better at the art? Stay here and stay alive," A flicker of pain was audible in his voice at the last, but no one seemed to react at all, save Kasumi, whose sole reaction was a slight tightening of her lips.

Akane gaped for a moment then began to frown, showing signs of a slow burn, her pride stung. "Like you would know. Fight me for real, and I'll show you!" she declared icily.

Ranma hesitated, then looked up at Akane incredulously. "…Okay," He said finally. "Let's go."

"Ha! Not so…Huh?" Akane spluttered, changing thought tracks, midstream. "FINE!" She growled, stomping in the direction of her room. "I'll be right out!"

Ranma just shook his head and heaved a huge sigh, and headed out of the tea room door, and into the yard of the Tendo home.

The door swished shut with the 'clack' of wood on wood, leaving the rest of the family looking at each other with anxious expressions. Kasumi was the first to speak.

"Oh my…"

"No kidding, sis," Nabiki replied, frowning as she glanced briefly in the directions both younger teens had gone. "This is really poor timing on Akane's part."

"Should we stop them?"

"No, I don't think Ranma-kun will hurt her, and she needs the lesson, or she might get ideas about proving herself…and end up like Ukyo," Nabiki replied quietly, then looked to the two fathers.

"You may have finally botched this completely." She told them coldly, and stood up. "Thanks for breakfast, Kasumi."

Kasumi nodded quietly, and instead of beginning to gather the dishes, she stood gracefully, smoothing her dress and apron, and as one, the two older Tendo sisters turned to the door, and walked out to join Ranma.

Genma and Soun, silent through all this, looked at each other.

"That didn't go as well as I'd hoped, Tendo."

"Nor I, Saotome."

"Do you suppose your girl is right? Might this be it?"

"Ordinarily, I'd disagree, but…with what happened to the Kuonji girl…"

"Who could have foreseen that, though? The Boy usually defeats all comers, and comes away with a few scratches."

"Indeed, Saotome." The Tendo patriarch sighed, contemplating the situation. "Your son had better not hurt my baby girl…"

"I trained him better than that, Tendo. But…all the same, we'd best keep an eye on this."

"We're agreed."

Again as one, the two fathers stood up from the table, and followed Nabiki and Kasumi from the room.

---

A short time later, Akane emerged from the house. Spotting Ranma in the yard, she walked over opposite to him and took up a stance. Dressed in her customary yellow gi, and wearing a rather intimidating scowl, she glanced at the spectators lining the porch. Genma, Soun, Nabiki and Kasumi all watched with unusually melancholy expressions. Soun gave a small nod to Akane, who nodded back as he raised his arm. Ranma just sighed, and just waited.

After a suitably dramatic pause, the master of the Tendo dojo dropped his arm. "Begin!"

Akane, as was her habit, rushed to the attack, intent on connecting with Ranma before he could begin the maddening exercise of dodging everything she threw at him. She put her all into the rush, trying to get there before Ranma could react. Within three steps, she'd closed the distance, and hope rose in her chest. _He hasn't moved…He's not moving! I can do this!_ She screamed inwardly in triumph, and cocked her arm to deliver her most punishing blow. _Take THIS! _"Kyyyaaa-UH!"

Akane's kiai was cut short by a sudden explosion of pain, bursting directly below her ribs. Stars sparkled in her vision, and she gasped for breath, but she didn't seem to be able to draw any, and why did her stomach hurt so badly, anyway?

She dropped to her knees, still trying to draw breath, and noted a hurriedly removed fist retreating from her stomach before it came in contact with her breasts, and she could only stare in wonder as it moved back to Ranma's side.

_He –hit- me? He actually –hit- me? It took him long enough, and…wait, why am I happy about this? He HIT me! The JERK! And…okay, breathe Akane, oh, wait…I can't breathe…_

Akane shuddered, flopping over onto her side and curled up into a fetal position, and clutching at her abused stomach. Ranma was finally snapped out of the apathetic expression he'd been wearing, and he knelt quickly beside Akane, a frantic expression beginning to take hold. "Akane…Akane, shit, I didn't mean ta hit ya that hard…are you okay? Speak ta me!" he babbled.

_He didn't? Ranma no BAKA! Show-off! Pervert! Aughhhh… _Akane winced, shuddering again, breathing in short, shallow gasps.

"Kami…I'm sorry…" he stammered, "I'm such a bastard…"

Ranma's ravings were interrupted as two hands rested on either shoulder.

"You are no such thing, Ranma-kun," Came Kasumi's soft voice. "We could all see you held back. Akane-chan will recover."

"She's right, Saotome. Even I could follow that. It wasn't exactly your Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, or whatever."

Akane wanted to protest, but she was too busy trying to get air back into her lungs. _My own sisters! _She looked over at the fathers for support, but Genma and Soun were still standing on the back porch, frozen, with their mouths hanging open in shock.

Dimly, she heard Nabiki and Kasumi shooing Ranma into the house before they turned to her, and she could feel Kasumi's gentle hands inspecting her abused stomach.

"What were you thinking, Akane?" Nabiki asked acidly. "You've seen that jock shatter concrete blocks bigger than you, and move fast enough to be hard to see! Even I could tell he barely tapped you. I hope you finally learned something from this."

"Hush, Nabiki-chan. Akane-chan is smarting enough right now as it is. Ranma-kun didn't do any damage, just winded her. Help me carry her to her room."

Nabiki sighed and shook her head. "Right, sis." She allowed, moving over to assist Kasumi. As her sisters picked her up and carried her away to her room like a very young child, Akane knew she'd been spared the worst, but her abused pride refused to give ground. _Ranma, how COULD you? _

---

Elsewhere, in another ward of Tokyo, the peaceful place of worship known as Hikawa Shrine basked in the gentle sunshine of the morning. Rei Hino, the resident miko of the shrine, re-entered the residence after spending the early morning hours feeding her pet ravens, Phobos and Deimos. Humming to herself, she went back to her room, pausing to shut and lock her door securely. After all, her grandfather hadn't resorted to peeping on her yet, but considering the way he behaved when her friends were around, it was wisest not to take chances.

After some thought, she walked over to the small tape player/portable radio she kept on her bedside table and turned it on to a local news station. Rei wasn't exactly –fond- of the morning news, but the songs played by the other stations early in the morning were outright abysmal. She hoped she never went to America, because frankly, the temptation to find and smack the daylights out of that 'Barry Manilow' person, whoever he was, would be overwhelming.

She undid her obi, and began to peel off her shrine maiden robes, humming all through the weather forecast. As she continued to undress, the news of the day came up, and out of rather morbid curiousity she listened closely. There had been unusual things happening of late in the Juuban ward, and frankly, for Rei to call them unusual was of note in and of itself. After all, she wasn't an ordinary girl. In addition to being a miko, she also spent her time as a 'soldier of love and justice', one of Juuban's local urban legends, the Sailor Senshi.

As Sailor Mars, Rei had seen and participated in a great many strange events, although she had hoped they were behind her now. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't destined to get her wish. Yet more enemies had been appearing lately, and they were accompanied by a new development. Occasionally, the Sailor Senshi would arrive to the reported location of a 'Daimon' to find nothing at all…except signs of a spectacular battle, along with bloodstains that induced nightmares by their size alone.

That alone would have been troubling enough, but reports of missing people were beginning to crop up and the Senshi were getting nervous. This level of peripheral violence was new territory to them, and as they were all young girls of fifteen, they were beginning to worry, though they needed more information in order to act.

_Which is what you're trying to gather. Pay attention to the radio! _Rei chastised herself, and finally started listening.

"-in other news, the recent bout of violent clashes in the underworld has spread out from Azabu Juuban, and into the nearby district of Nerima last night. A group of teens from Furinkan High School were accosted in the early evening by what witnesses described as a 'shadowy group'. A rather heated discussion accompanied by combat ensued, resulting in the death of one of the teens, and the eventual defeat of several gang members. The rather violent method of operation of the criminals has led many to speculate that they may be linked to the person or persons responsible for the missing persons incidents currently plaguing Juuban district. However, by the time of the arrival of law enforcement officers on the scene, the suspects had fled. Investigation of a powdery, ash-like substance on the scene has let to speculations of all sorts, including a new cult of some sort…"

Rei shuddered, gasping in revulsion and switched the radio off. "Oh Kami…I need to tell the others…and maybe do a fire reading. This is far more serious than we thought, and just getting worse," she murmured aloud, then looked down.

"Gah…How long have I been standing here in my underwear-?" she exclaimed, sighing and grabbing a robe. She went to her closet, pausing nervously as she withdrew her school uniform. _Someone died last night. That's…there have been casualties before, but this…I don't know if the Sailor Senshi can handle this alone…_

---

Ranma sat alone in front of the television in the Tendo family living room, his pack lying on the floor beside him, staring blankly at the children's show, and distantly wondering what this 'Dr. Puri Puri' was supposed to be. The sound of footsteps on the stairs behind him caught his attention and he rolled to his feet, turning to see who it was. His expression took on an anxious cast as Nabiki stepped into the room. She was still yawning, but she was dressed now, in her usual 'casual' attire of jeans and a blue sweatshirt, with a red and white design.

"How's she doin'?" he asked Nabiki guiltily. Nabiki rolled her eyes at him, and flopped down on the sofa.

"You just slugged her in the stomach, Saotome," She replied exasperatedly. "And not very hard, either. She'll live. Settle down."

Ranma gave Nabiki an odd look, not calming in the slightest. "I never expected you to be so laid back about me hitting her…"

"You think you're the first?" Nabiki asked amusedly. "Before you came, and Akane was beating off the boys every day, she used to take some hits. Gradually, she got good enough to beat them to it, but she wasn't exactly delicate."

Ranma's face twisted, in annoyance or anger. He wasn't sure if he had the right to feel that way, though, especially after what he'd just done. _There had t' have been better ways to deal with that. _He thought morosely.

"Ranma,"

"Huh?"

He looked to Nabiki, who was staring at him intently. "What happened last night?"

_Blood…_

_Screams…Pain…_

_Ucchan…_

"I don't wanna talk about it," Ranma told Nabiki gruffly. He was unable to keep his voice from shaking, but she didn't seize on that, thankfully.

"It's not like I want to poke into something like this. But…you came home last night covered in…blood, of all things. After those people in the park…" Nabiki let the statement trail off, her own discomfort with the subject surfacing. "Saotome," She said finally, her jaw setting. "Is my family in danger?"

Ranma blinked, taken aback by the question. _It's a fair question…dammit._ "I dunno," He replied honestly. "I hope not. That's part of the reason I'm goin'."

"Ranma-kun, if they come while you're gone…" Nabiki began, but Ranma frowned.

"What d'ya want me ta do?" he asked softly, his brows knitted together. "I'm only one guy, Nabiki. I can't baby-sit everyone forever. This is what I –can- do on my own."

Nabiki fidgeted and sat down. Unlike her usual, exaggeratedly casual way of leaning back, she was sitting erect and had her hands folded rather demurely in her lap. "I…That's true, but…"

_She's afraid. _Ranma realised. _Her body language is all stiff…_ "Hey, Nabiki," He interrupted. "If this…happens again. All ya gotta do is call me. I'll let you know where I'm goin'."

Nabiki sat up a little straighter. "You will?"

Ranma nodded, shrugging. "Yeah. You guys have been good ta me, despite the trouble," He explained, blushing a little and scratching the back of his head.

Nabiki shook her head. "You know, under all that oafish bravado, you're a pretty nice guy, Saotome." Nabiki murmured, stretching a little to release some of the pent-up tension in her curvy frame.

Ranma reddened a little as his eyes gravitated slowly to the way Nabiki's breasts pushed out at the front of her sweater. _Gah…more an' more lately, That's been happening…turning into a pervert for real…_Ranma shook his head and stared at the floor, his face red.

Nabiki, however, had caught the look, and a slow smirk spread across her face. "Late bloomer, are you, Saotome?" She asked, dropping her arms and grinning openly.

Ranma looked up, looking a little puzzled. "Huh?" he asked blankly. "What'cha mean by that?"he wondered.

Nabiki shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She smiled, seeming pleased with herself for some reason that was likely incomprehensible to him. "When do you plan on heading out?"

Ranma's expression slowly grew grim, his mind directed firmly back to the topic that the casual conversation had provided a brief refuge from. "This afternoon. I gotta go talk to Tofu-sensei." He replied thoughtfully, his mind going back to preparing in earnest.

"In that case, I'll go make some calls. I'll see you before you leave, Saotome."

Ranma looked at Nabiki as she waved, and he did likewise and watched as the slim girl stood and walked from the room, strangely mixed emotions leaking through the wall he put up. _Funny…I think I'm gonna miss her._

--

The soft sound of the crickets chirping was carried along by the morning breeze, and slipped softly into the window of the modest home in the suburbs. Inside, a boy sat cross-legged on the bed, contemplating the rest of the room. Aside from the main pieces of furniture, which consisted of a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf, the room was bare. Which wasn't to say it was empty. No, boxes of all shapes and types lay on the floor of the room, packed full of the boy's possessions.

Shiki Tohno looked around the bare room, his home for the past eight years, with a certain sense of melancholy. He'd definitely miss the Arima family. He felt as though he belonged here. But the word had come from his sister. It was time to go home.

He wasn't really looking forward to it. He hadn't seen any of his family since he'd come to stay here after the accident. But now that his father was gone, Akiha was the head of the family, and she wanted him back. It was nice to be wanted, but he couldn't help but feel extremely uncomfortable about the whole thing. It had been a long time, after all. Well, it wasn't as if she'd given him a choice, was it? One simply didn't go against the family head without a good reason. With a sigh, he pushed himself off of the bed, and pulled on the jacket for his school uniform, and picked up his satchel. His eyes fell on the hilt of the folded knife resting on his desk. And he froze.

_"Hey Sensei, look what I can do!"  
_

_"Isn't it amazing? I could easily cut anywhere that has the lines on it. I don't think anyone else can do this"_

_"Shiki----! The only thing I want you to know is to never cut those lines just out of curiosity. Your eyes will make life of 'things' seem too insignificant."_

_"---Okay. If you say so, I won't. I'm sorry Sensei, I'll never do anything like that again."  
_

_"I'm relieved. Shiki, please never forget that feeling. If you remember that, you'll be able to become happy for sure. I won't tell you to become a saint. You should just become an adult who is able to do what you believe is right. If you are able to accept what's bad and apologize just like now, you'll become an wonderful boy in 10 years."_

Shiki's gaze refocused on the knife, and he picked it up, slipping it into his satchel. "I'm still keeping my word, sensei."

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to say goodbye to the Arima family as he left for school from their home for the last time. _  
_

---

Ranma took one last look over his shoulder at the grounds to the Tendo home, regret and resolve mingling with equal strength. _Jus' too chicken to really say goodbye, I guess, _he mused, a curious, lingering ache in his chest. Setting his jaw, and rubbing at his eyes again (the damn things ached for some reason), the stony faced teenage martial artist shouldered his pack, and strode out of the gates of the Tendo home.

No sooner had Ranma put one foot out into the street, than a soft voice from beside the gates stopped him. "Were you just going to leave?"

He turned, coming face to face with his fiancée. Akane, still favouring her stomach slightly, leaned against the stone wall, her head resting on the wooden dojo sign affixed there. The yellow dress she'd changed into fluttered slightly in the breeze, as she turned her head to look at him without lifting it away from the wall. The ache in Ranma's chest seemed to grow more intense as he looked at her, emotion clawing up at his throat. "Yeah."

"Why, Ranma?" Akane asked softly, moving away from the stone wall with difficulty. The hurt in her eyes was different. No rage was rushing in to mask the pain, and Ranma realised suddenly why Akane was so angry all the time. The 'macho gorilla' looked horrifyingly vulnerable without rage lending her strength. He swallowed, unprepared for this.

"Because I gotta," He replied stiffly. Inwardly, he winced at how inadequate that sounded in the face of the girl's pain. Akane's lack of anger at his response seemed to somehow make it worse.

"Why you?" she asked in a small voice, taking a step toward him, hesitantly.

His stomach twisted as he realised the source of her hesitation. _She's afraid of me…kami, I should never have let her tease me inta fighting…_ "Who else, Akane?" Ranma replied, echoing his earlier words to his father. "Ucchan was all alone." With a soft wrenching, he felt a little piece of himself wither with each word he added.

"But why this? Would Ukyo want this?" Akane pleaded, adding an unspoken layer to her words as she moved forward another hesitant step.

Ranma felt a slow choking wave of frustrated misery choking him. "You don't understand." He cut her off gruffly. "You weren't there."

Akane flinched as though he'd slapped her, and he felt another straw added to the weight he was carrying. "Then tell me, Ranma. Please? I want to understand."

"No," He replied softly. "Just forget about it. Stay here, Akane." _Stay here and stay alive, _he added in his mind, but didn't say aloud.

"No-!" Akane started to protest but she cut herself off with a tiny cry of pain, and put a hand to her stomach. It was Ranma's turn to flinch, and he gently reached out to support her, but she angrily brushed his hands away.

Ranma wordlessly withdrew his hands, and watched Akane breathing heavily as she regained herself. He watched her struggle, and felt himself beginning to weaken. _Get outta here now, stupid, or she's gonna stop you. _" 'Bye, Akane," Ranma said softly, finally. With all the willpower he had left, Ranma turned away and began to walk.

"Ran-Ranma," Akane gasped out, her voice wavering, and then firming.

Despite himself, Ranma stopped short, waiting silently.

Akane's voice had regained its edge of anger, but Ranma could still hear the hurt. "If you walk away, don't bother coming back." She ground out, and for some reason, instead of crumbling, his resolve stiffened as anger spiked in him with startling speed. Just as quickly, the anger washed away, leaving him feeling curiously empty.

"If that's what you want," he replied dully, and continued slowly on his way, away from the Tendo home. He could feel her eyes burning holes into his back, but he kept going, the dull ache coming back to his chest, and seeming to take up residence there…

---

>Click _This just in. In a stunning development to the cult-related attack in Nerima last night, a daring daylight robbery has taken place and the body of the victim; a Miss Ukyo Kuonji has been stolen from the coroner's office. If you or anyone you know has information that can lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators, please don't wait, and contact your local police precinct._ >Click 

---

Authors notes: Well, Here it is. My first attempt at something more unique than my earlier works. Thanks go to Dunefar, Liddo-kun and Merc for pre-reads.

I'm randomly using elements from the Shingetsutan Tsukihime games, as well as the anime, to eliminate things that bug me. >> I'm making an effort to stay true to the characters, though, for example, Shiki from Melty Blood and the original H-game has more personality than the anime version, so I'll use that, thus, there will be a few surprises to those that have only seen the anime. Now, Lessee if I can update more regularly...


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